Pipe-wrench.



H.' L. DIGKSON.

PIPE WRENCH. APPLIGATION'HLBD JULY a, 19121 Patented Mar. 11, 1913.

WITNESSES:

BY t 'ITDRNEY eine HORACE LfDICKSON, OF SAN LEANDRO, CALIFQRNIA.

PIPE-WRENCH.

Applicationled .Tuly 8, 1912.2 Serial No. 708,110.

To all whom/ it may concern-t a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing-at San Leandro, in the` county of. Alameda and State ofy California, have invented new and useful Improvements-in Pipe-Wrenches, ofA

l a simple, substantial, quickly adjustable pipe wrench involvii'ig aK combination of especially formed and connected members whereby lost motionA is practically en tirely obviated, and which `will automatically close when out-of use and automatically Iembrace the member or pipe being operated upon after it has onceq been adjusted v-to posit-ion thereon. 'f

The :invention consists of the parts, and the construction and combinationof parts as hereinafter more fully described and claimed, having reference to the accompanying drawings, in whieh-l Figure 1 is a side elevation of the wrench partly in section. Fig.y 2 is a side elevation of the wrench open position with carrier in section. 3 is a-cross section on line X-X, F ig. 2. liig. 4l is a cross section on line Y-Y', Fig. 2. x

It is desirable to provide a pipe wrench of as few and substantial parts as possible, and one. which 'may be, quickly applied. To the end of accomplishing this desirability, I em- ,ploy a pair of cooperative wrench jaws 2 and 3, which may be either removable or integrally formed with respective shanks 4 and 5', the latter of which practically forms v the handle of the wrench.

The particular features'to which attention is called is a meanswhereby t-he wrench shank el may be quickly longitudinally adva'nced to open the jaws 2 and 3; andalso the means by which the two jaws are tem# porarily locked into position when the vlever 5 is being pressed and theja'ws operatively engaging a pipe or other structure. I have,

shown'tlie shank i as slidably mountedina carrier 6, of suitable sha-pe and strength, and 'which is mounted upon a pivot 7 transversely secured in the shank orhandlebar approximate the jaw.V

The shrank @which may be suitable shape' andl proportion, is longitudinally slot` ted, as at 8, uponorieforbothsides, so as tol receive pins orprojections `9 rigidly fastened Specification of Letters Patent;

Patented Mar. ii, isis.

in the carrier 6 and upon which the shank lmay slide. The pins or projections 9 prevent transverse movement of the shank 4 within the carriage 6. 'Around the shank end is placed an eXpansible spring otl suit# ablestructure, as at l0, reactive between one side of the carrier 6 and a removable' button or head 11 attached to the shank end 4. l

-Tlie normal eifect of the expansible spring 10 is to retract the jaw 2 and the shank 4 toward the substantially stationary body or lever member 5. When it is desired toadv vance the,jaw 2, the operator of the wrencl 'grasps the handle 5 in one Vhand and pushes upon the button or head 11 of the slidable shank until the jaw 2 is opened sufficiently to grasp the pipe to be turned. Releasing pressure `from the button 11 allows the spring 10 to vforce backwardly the jaw 2l untilit firmly embraces the pipe, and then when the lever 5 is pressed open, it will handle 5 about its pivot 7 is determined by the amount of space formed bet-weenthe .bottom of the carriage 6 and the bottom edge of the lever o. This amount'of space is designed to be sufficient to allow the lock dog letto clear itself from the teeth 15 to` `let.the expansible spring 10 automaticallyretract the jaw 2.

Manifestly,`if the jaw 3 was rigidly con.-

nected to the carriage or box 6 and the lever' 5 manipulated so as to erce the dog 14 into engagement with the'teeth 15, when 1t was desired to bring the jaws 2 and 3 into bin`ding engagement with a given sized pipe, it is possible that theremight be a'sulhcient space between the opposed jaws to preventthe latter froml binding on the pipe to be turned, because ofthe pitch of. the teeth 15 on the shank 4. In, order to absolutely ,insure-.the tight binding engagement of t-he jaws 2 and 3, l purposely mount the jaw 3 in thebox (i tor movement relative to the latter."v In thiswinstance the jaw is provided with a shank or lng 3', projecting through i which a pin 3a which extends transversely through slots (3 in the opposite sides of the 5, box (i. The front portion ofthe jaw 3 bears against the inclined surface G of the end of the box G; the inclination being suiiicient to compensate for the pitch of the teeth l5.

of the shank 4r, so that when the jaws 2-3 have been adjusted, approximately, upon /the pipe to bel turned, a force is applied to the lever 5. The friction'of the teeth of the jaw 3 being upon the pipe, will cause the jaw proper to slide upwardly on the inclincd surface of the box Wedging the box teeth firmly upon the pipe or piece to be turned. Thus, the detachable and movable jaw 3 has a con'ipensatory movementrelative to thebox 6.

Having thus described my invention,What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent isl. An improved Wrench comprising apair of Shanks one of which forms a handle and the other is made rigid with an outer jaw,

a carrier within which vthe second-named shank slidably operates, a s ring surrounding the second-named shankibetween the end thereof and the carrier, said spring being reactive against the carrier to automatically retract the second-named shank and its jaw, a dog slidably mounted in the carrier having a serrated surface, said second-named amai/24 shank having a serrated surface engaged by said dog, and a movable jaw slidably mounted inthe carrier at right-angles to the second-named shank, said tiret-named shank being pivotally mounted in the car rier ha Ting a projecting lug to operate against vsaid* dog and force the same into locking engagementwith the second-namedv shank.

2. In a Wrench of the character described, the combination with va shank having a fixed jaw and having a toothed surface, a carrier embracing said shank, a movable jaW mounted in the carrier, a second shank pivotally mounted on the carrier, and a dog mounted in the carrier and having a toothed surface to engage the like surface on the tiret-named shank, said dog being interposed between the tWo Shanks and operated j AHORACE L. DIGKSON.A

lWitnesses:

R. L.GREGORY, JOHN B. FLOYD.

Copies oi this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D, C. 

